Giannis Antetokoumpo scored points on his 30th birthday. Damian Lillard dropped a 20-point opening half. Even Khris Middleton made his season debut for the Milwaukee Bucks.
All of those didn’t matter for the Boston Celtics as long as their champion duo were balling.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 59 markers and the defending champions squeaked past the Bucks, 111-105, for their third straight win.
Tatum erupted for 34 points, including 20 in the second half, in a game that saw 11 ties and 14 lead changes.
A tough dime and a tough drive 😤
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2024
Jayson Tatum's up to 34 PTS as the @celtics battle with the Bucks late on ESPN!
The reigning Final MVP in Brown added 25 points as the Celtics improved to 10-2 at home and 19-4 overall.
This take from Jaylen Brown is TOUGH 😤
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2024
He's up to 20 PTS for the @celtics on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/TKonHzOKHv
Lillard paced the Bucks with a team-high 31 markers while Antetokounmpo tallied a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Middleton scored 11 points in his first game back after missing the team's first 21 games while recovering from offseason surgeries on both of his ankles. The Bucks now dropped to 11-11 with the loss.
Welcome back, Khris Middleton 👏
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2024
He gets the and-1 for his first bucket in his season debut! @Bucks and Celtics, live on ESPN!
Milwaukee visits the Nets (10-13) in Brooklyn next while Boston hosts the surging Memphis Grizzlies (15-8).
